Inside this issue

Summer Prayer ........................... 2

Vacation Bible School .................. 3

Reflections on Art in my Life........ 4

Book Review ................................ 6

Children’s HopeChest .................. 7

Rector’s Message ........................ 8

Photo Gallery............................... 9

Episcopal Church Quiz ............... 12

Summer Dance Karen Robertson Henry, Editor

Why is our happiness index so high in Michigan, despite the long, some-

times harsh winters? It is because of the joy of summer, of being able to

finally shake off the constraints of winter and the chill or rain of spring.

This puts us in a tailspin of joy. John Steinbeck puts it nicely, he says

“What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give

it sweetness.”

continued on next page

2nd Quarter 2018

St. David’s ReflectionsSt. David’s Reflections

SSSUMMERUMMERUMMER PPPRAYERRAYERRAYER

Father, Creator of all, thank You for summer!

Thank you for the warmth of the sun

and the increased daylight.

Thank you for the beauty I see all around me

and for the opportunity to be outside and enjoy Your creation.

Thank you for the increased time I have to be with my friends

and family, and for the more casual pace of the summer season.

Draw me closer to You this summer.

Teach me how I can pray

no matter where I am or what I am doing.

Warm my soul with the awareness of Your presence

and light my path with Your Word and Counsel.

As I enjoy Your creation, create in me

a pure heart and a hunger and a thirst for You. Amen

Taken from IgnatianSpirituality.com

Summer Dance (continued)

2

Summer becomes the time to draw closer to God as

we clean our flower beds and plant our flowers and

water them, all the while in deep communion with

God. Summer gives each of us the opportunity to

fellowship around the barbecue grill, each person’s

joy in just being—being easy, being outdoors, being

relaxed, “passing like a sunbeam through to another

and reflecting itself with redoubled brightness”.

Summer allows us to steal away from our

day-to-day; to do and see something different, or to

simply rest or be still, because it is in the stillness

that we meet God. Summer allows us to go on

walks and “He walks with me and He talks with

me…”, or we talk with our walking partner or we

talk to ourselves and we look at everything around

us through new or renewed lenses of appreciation

and wonder. Have you ever stopped and looked

way up the length of a densely leafed tree, opening

your imagination to the conversations between the

leaves, or wished you could visit with a mother

squirrel inside her nest? These are the gifts of

summer, and there’s none nicer than a Michigan

summer!

In this edition of Reflections of St. David’s, we are

pleased to feature the contributions from Cindy

Litwinowicz who reviewed the book she was

reading, Jessica Rienstra who takes us outside our

own issues to answer the question “what can we do

for others”, Kitty Kenning who champions our

young members through Vacation Bible School and

Lorraine Tyler who gives us a peek into the artist’s

world. As usual we thank our standing contributors

and committee members. Reflections of St. David’s

is for you, a place for your stories, your reflections;

your book reviews, whatever is important to you

that you want to share with the rest of us. Write it.

We have editors who will shape it into your

masterpiece.

Have a wonderful summer, and as Susan Polis Schutz says, “Let us dance in the sun, wearing wild

flowers in our hair...”

VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL

St. David’s

June 18-22

5:30—8:00 pm

Invite your friends

and neighbors!

See you at VBS!

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Kitty Kenning

For five days each summer, St. David’s offers Vacation Bible School with an

exciting program planned each year! Don’t miss out on the fun this year. VBS

will take place at St. David’s, Southfield, and once again, we are excited to be

partnering with St. James Episcopal Church, Birmingham.

Each session begins at 5:30 pm for a simple dinner before we start the evening

activities. Children then assemble in church for a short skit introducing the day’s

theme and singing. Following assembly time, students rotate through different

activity centers including recreation, science, scripture, and crafts. The children

gather again for dismissal at the end of the session at 8:00 pm.

The 2018 VBS theme is: Peace Lab: Let Peace Begin with Me. The goals

for Peace Lab VBS is for children to learn that:

Blessed are the peacemakers.

(Sermon on the Mount: Matthew 5:9, 43-48)

Peacemakers find good ways to solve problems.

(Abram and Lot: Genesis 13)

Peacemakers help other people.

(Naomi, Ruth, and Boaz: Ruth 1-2)

Peacemakers speak up for what is right.

(Jonathan, Michal, and David: 1 Samuel 18- 19-20)

Peacemakers ask for help to resolve conflict.

(Martha and Mary: Luke 10:38-42)

Questions may be directed to :

Kitty Kenning ( 586-573-9886) kitkenn@aol.com

Chris Gannon (248-644-0829) chris@stjamesbirmingham.org

Student Registration: https://stsjamesepiscopalchurch.formstack.com/forms/2018vbs

Volunteer Registration:

http://www.signupgenius.com/go/60b0b4baaa62ca46-peace

“I enjoy creating pieces about the

human experience,”

Reflections on Art in my Life

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by Lorraine Tyler

I have been painting for many years. I started drawing in elementary

school when I filled shoe boxes with drawings of clothes for my paper

dolls that changed outfits every minute in their daily routine. Art was

always a given “A” in school. My intention was to go to art school in

Chicago to pursue a career in fashion design. My Saginaw High School

counselor convinced my parents to send me to a small college because I

was very quiet. (I stuttered so I chose not to do a lot of talking!)

At Central Michigan College, again, my career would be changed when

my advisor convinced me that I would do better as a teacher. (At one

time, most African Americans were encouraged to become teachers or

nurses.) It wasn’t until I had moved to Detroit and was teaching French

and English that I actually became interested in art again having

received an oil set for a Christmas gift. I enrolled at the Center for

Creative Studies. That was the beginning!!!

I have had many exhibits, and I’ve sold many, many paintings. The

highlight of my art career was a one person exhibit at the Charles H.

Wright Museum of African American History which happened after an

employee at the Wright museum saw me on television talking about my

work. Other highlights include designing wall hangings for the former

St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church and a tee shirt design for the former

St Christopher/ St Paul Episcopal church. I also designed the logo for

the now defunct Detroit Metropolitan Orchestra.

I enjoy creating pieces about the human experience. Many of the pieces

I’ve done have been from photos made from my trips abroad. Creating

art at St David’s was a challenge when Fr. Chris asked me to do pieces

for specific seasons. As in all art, the acceptance of the wall sculptures,

the cloth draping on the cross, and the haloed skeletons have had mixed

responses. I thank Fr. Chris for having allowed me to express myself

freely. The paintings I did for the altar were used again last year. I

think they might be keepers!

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Book Review: Ujima in Action

by Cindy Hampel-Litwinowicz

COLLECTIVE COURAGE: A HISTORY OF AFRICAN AMERICAN

COOPERATIVE ECONOMIC THOUGHT AND PRACTICE

By Jessica Gordon Nembhard

(The Pennsylvania State University Press, 2014).

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Okay, I’ll get the big question

out of the way first: Why did a

white girl like me from a Polish-

American background read a

scholarly book that documents

the cooperative economics

practiced in the African

American community for more

than 200 years?

Because I’m fascinated with

Ujima—the principle of

collective work and

responsibility that is celebrated

on the third day of Kwanzaa.

And because I saw a 15-minute

YouTube video in which GritTV

Host Laura Flanders interviews

Professor Gordon Nembhard

about her book. Before you read

this book, I would recommend

watching the video.

This is history off the beaten

path of our current school

curriculum. But it is real history,

thoroughly documented with

chapter and verse as only a

history professor could provide.

Gordon Nembhard keeps an

objective tone despite some of

the injustices she documents as

African Americans act

collectively to improve their

lot in life. “People have been

killed for doing cooperative

economics,” she says in the

YouTube video. Which is why,

for me, this book is such a big

deal.

Even from my Polish-American

background, my parents talked

about the value of collective

action. They described some of

the unpleasant realities of life for

working class people and the

discrimination they sometimes

faced because of their Polish

name and heritage. In response,

Polish Americans formed

groups—like the Polish National

Alliance—that offered members

training, education, social

opportunities and a bit of

financial protection through life

insurance.

Insurance and mutual aid also

were an early focus of collective

action for African Americans,

Gordon Nembhard says. These

are some of the basics of life

that cooperatives have organized

to offer members. In our

modern era, these basics have

taken the form of credit unions,

insurance companies, gas

stations, grocery stores,

education and jobs.

Gordon Nembhard also

documents some unique ways

that people banded together,

including the Freedom Quilting

Bee in Alabama. Sales from the

quilts helped to purchase land

for those displaced from work

or land during the struggle for

civil rights in the 1960s.

Some cooperatives flourished

only for a time, she writes.

Others continue today, including

credit unions and rural electrical

companies. These organizations

are run democratically and their

goal is to benefit their members.

Other large American

cooperatives today include

Cooperative Home Care

Associates and the Federation of

Southern Cooperatives/Land

Assistance Fund. Closer to

home are the Evergreen

Cooperatives in Cleveland.

These cooperatives exhibit the

spirit of Ujima that Gordon Nembhard documents so

thoroughly.

7

Children’s HopeChest

by Jessica Rienstra

This past March, my friend, Joanna McKinnney,

came to speak at an adult forum about her work

with Children’s HopeChest (hopechest.org) for a

community in Ethiopia. HopeChest works to

“equip vulnerable children, their families, and

communities escape from the cycle of poverty.”

They do this through child and family

sponsorship, which helps provide nutritious

food, medical care, and schooling for the child as

well as his family. They also help the community

through larger projects such as building wells,

providing school supplies, etc.

I was able to meet Joanna several years ago

through our Ethiopian adoption group in

Michigan. Both of our families have Ethiopian

children, and we’ve seen firsthand the abject

poverty of some families and communities in

Ethiopia. What made me especially excited about

HopeChest is that it’s a very holistic program,

working to support not just children, and not just

their families, but their entire communities.

Additionally, they do everything possible to keep

children in their families so they don’t become

“economic orphans”, orphaned due to poverty

and their family’s inability to provide for them.

While adopting our youngest son has been a huge

blessing to us, we know that adoption is never

the first choice for a child. The best case scenario

is a child able to stay with his biological family

who loves him and can provide for him. If that is

not possible, adoption may become necessary,

but as I said, it’s never the first choice for a child.

Adoption, especially international adoption,

comes at a great loss for children. Many lose all

connection with their biological family, they lose

connection with their language, culture,

sometimes religion, and more. Assuring

international adoption only happens when it’s in

the very best interest of the child is one way of

caring for orphans, and preventing children from

needing to be in orphanages and/or adopted is

another way. HopeChest provides a great

opportunity to help families stay together and

allow children to receive what they need to

thrive.

For more information on how to be involved or

to sponsor a child, please visit Woyera

Carepoint’s Facebook page at https://

www.facebook.com/groups/LinkedtoEthiopia/

about/ or see me and I can get you in touch with

Joanna. Joanna and I want to thank everyone

who donated to the project and signed up to

sponsor a child when she visited St. David’s.

Your response was overwhelming and we were

so appreciative!

Rector’s Message

Switching Up the Way We Read the Bible

There are few things more dear to the heart of us St. David's folk than the Bible.

Every Sunday we hear it proclaimed, sung, preached on, and prayed. And you've probably suspected that the selection of any given text, Old Testament, Psalm, New Testament, and Gospel, is intentional.

It is.

And it's about to change.

The Revised Common Lectionary is the book of ordered readings that most Episcopalians, Catholics, Methodists, Presbyterians, and a host of other Christians use to decide which texts to read on any given Sunday. This is cool because we can then be 'on the same page' as our brothers and sisters in other traditions (go to www.lectionarypage.net to find out more),

During the long green season after Pentecost, there are two tracks (or strands) each week for Old Testament readings. Within each track, there is a Psalm chosen to accompany each particular lesson.

The Revised Common Lectionary allows us to make use of either of these tracks, for as long as I've been here, we've used Track 1. This is the first track of Old Testament readings and it follows major stories and themes, read mostly continuously from week to week. In Year A we begin with Genesis, in Year B we hear some of the great monarchy narratives, and in Year C we read from the latter prophets.

A second track of readings (“Track 2”) follows the Roman Catholic tradition of thematically pairing the Old Testament reading with the Gospel reading, often typologically—a sort of foretelling of Jesus Christ’s life and ministry. This second track is almost identical to our previous Book of Common Prayer lectionary.

Within each track there may be additional readings, complementary to the standard reading; these may be used with the standard reading, or in place of it.

I'm writing to let you know that this year we've officially switched to Track 2 as a way to provide a different way of hearing the Bible. Do let me know what you think! Do the Sunday readings make more sense? Less sense?

May we continue to grow closer to God and each other by our shared journey through scripture.

Fr. Chris�

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Photo Gallery

Parish Life

at St. David’s

Joanne and Len Sackett

Judy Walsh tells us about her trip to Iceland

at the Adult Forum.

Our children’s cross bearers now have

stoles to wear as they process.

Friends greeting friends

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Altar Guild members at work. Our team at Crossroads on March 18.

It’s Easter! Getting bells to make a joyful noise. Finding Easter eggs is so exciting.

DOK members donated dresses for the children in Haiti. Dominique is seeing patients in Mirebalais, Haiti.

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St. David’s hosted the SOS coordinators’ meeting… sharing

ideas and learning from each other.

Creation Sunday was a day of renewal for our

gardens with new benches and new flowers

Mother’s Day

Celebrating all of our Moms

Everyone had a great time at Vandenberg’s Pen Pal Tea. Sharing foods and traditions at Cultural Sunday.

Reflections of

St. David’s

Karen Robertson Henry, Editor

Mary Margaret Bair, Writer

Edna Buday, Asst. & Print Editor

Steve Ernst, Digital Editor

John Hawkes, Writer and Editor

Joanne Sackett, Photographer

The Very Rev. Chris Yaw, Rector

Lynne Zacharias, Production Asst.

St. David’s Episcopal Church

16200 W. 12 Mile Road

Southfield, MI 48076

www.stdavidssf.org

Phone: 248-557-5430

Fax: 248-557-5431

1. Who is considered the founder of the Episcopal Church?

a) Martin Luther b) King Henry VIII

c) Saint Stephen, the follower of Jesus who, according to the Bible, was

stoned to death for his beliefs

d) A traveling preacher whose name is unknown

2. The Episcopal Church is in communion with what other church?

a) The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints b) The Church of England

c) The Catholic Church d) The United Church of Christ

3. Who is sort of the Episcopalian equivalent of the Catholic Church's

Pope?

a) The Archbishop of Canterbury b) The Cardinal of Madrid

c) The Cardinal of Canterbury d) The Archbishop of Liverpool

4. The word “episcopal” means what?

a) governed by bishops b) assisted by deacons

c) organized into dioceses d) led by priests

5. What is the prayer book of the Episcopal Church?

a) The Book of Common Prayer b) The Daily Episcopalian

c) The books of Psalms and Proverbs in the Bible

d) There is no special Episcopalian prayer book

6. You must be a confirmed Episcopalian to receive the sacrament of

Communion in an Episcopal Church.

a) True b) False

7. Which of the following are you least likely to find in an Episcopal

church?

a) A baptismal font b) A candle c) A confessional booth

8. True or False: The Episcopal Church has a formal canonization

process for saints

a) True b) False

9. What are the Episcopal Church’s orders of ministry?

a) Pastor, teacher, apostle, evangelist, exorcist

b) Laity, deacon, priest, bishop

c) Lay preachers, pastors, deacons

Answers 1-b; 2-b; 3-a; 4-a; 5-a; 6-b; 7-c; 8-b; 9-b

Episcopal Church Quiz